Will U-M have to contend with Illini star?
Dosunmu’s status unclear for B1G showdown vs. Michigan
Two of Michigan’s past three games have been against top-10 teams, according to KenPom.com.
Tonight, the Wolverines will take part in another.
In perhaps the most-anticipated Big Ten matchup this season, No. 2 Michigan will host No. 4 Illinois.
The Wolverines (18-1 overall, 13-1 Big Ten) are playing as well as any team in the country and sit atop the conference standings. Illinois has, for the most part, lived up to the lofty pre
season expectations and is in second place in the Big Ten with a 14-4 conference record.
Will Ayo play?
The biggest question heading into Tuesdayis whether Illinois’ star guard will play. Ayo Dosunmu suffered a broken nose against Michigan State and has missed his team’s past two games. On Monday, Illinois coach Brad Underwood told reporters that Dosunmu’s status was “day-to-day.”
Dosunmu has simply been one of the best scorers in college basketball this season. Averaging 21 points, he has only gotten more efficient in every facet of the game while taking on more responsibility within the offense.
The biggest leap has been with his 3-point shot, as Dosunmu has made 28 of 70 3s; that 40% 3-point percentage is 11% higher than last season’s. Dosunmu is also drawing 5.2 fouls per 40 minutes, a 33% increase fromlast season’s, while he has increased his assist rate by roughly 45%.
Michigan fans will remember the gamewinning shot Dosunmu hit over Zavier Simpson in Ann Arbor last season. At 6-foot-5, 200 pounds, Dosunmu is bigger than either Mike Smith or Eli Brooks (who will likely guard Dosunmu), which means he will be able to shoot over either player. Michigan could elect to use Chaundee Brown (65, 215 pounds) to defend Dosunmu, but Brown is averaging just 19.7 minutes per game.
Brooks is an elite defender, but he did have trouble recently defending Ohio State’s Duane Washington, who was able to consistently get to the rim and finish. The Buckeyes surrounded Washington with shooters, which could have challenged Michigan’s ability to play help defense.
Center Kofi Cockburn is not a 3-point threat, so he won’t pull Hunter Dickinson too far away from the paint. Still, Michigan must:prevent Dosunmu from getting a full head of speed in transition opportunities; limit his driving ability, and if he does drive, try to corral him to his weak side; and contest shots as much as possible, even with the potential height difference.
If Dosunmu can’t play, look for Jacob Grandison and Andre Curbelo to soak up more minutes. Grandison got the start in Illinois’ previous game and played 29 minutes, roughly 16 more than his season average. While he is a complementary offensive option, Grandison is very efficient and averaging 55.6% on 2s, 42.4% on 3s and 95% at the line. Curbelo, meanwhile, has been probably the secondbest freshman in the Big Ten this season. While he has struggled with turnovers, averaging 2.8 per game, he is also dishing out 4.2 assists and his assist rate of 35.7% ranks No. 35 in the nation. Illinois will need Curbelo’s play-making and passing if Dosunmu can’t play.
Another test for Dickinson
Last week, Dickinson guarded two of the nation’s top big men in Iowa’s Luka Garza and Indiana’s Trayce Jackson-Davis — and passed the test with flying colors. Garza scored just 16 points on 6 of 19 shooting (making 3 of 14 shots when Dickinson was in the game), while Jackson-Davis scored 10 points on 3 of 12 shooting.
Next up: Cockburn, who is having a monster sophomore season for Illinois. Cockburn is averaging 17.7 points on 66.8% shooting, 9.9 rebounds and 1.3 blocks.
The good news for Dickinson is that Cockburn does not have the range of Garza or some of the other bigs who have given Michigan trouble with 3-point shooting. The bad news: Cockburn, who is listed at 7-foot, 285 pounds, has been near unstoppable inside. He is even more prolific than Garza and Jackson-Davis at drawing fouls, 7.3 fouls per 40 minutes, sixthmost nationally. While Cockburn is a mediocre free-throw shooter (56.9%), the last thing Michigan wants to see is Dickinson in foul trouble. Dickinson has already proven he can defend some of the other top centers in the Big Ten, so he may handle himself well Tuesday night. That wouldn’t take away from the impressiveness of the feat, though.
3-point shooting battle
These are two of the top 3-point shooting teams in the nation. Michigan has made39% from outside, which is No. 11 nationally, while Illinois has made38.1% — No. 20.
The two highest-volume shooters for Illinois are Trent Frazier (48 of 124), who shoots 38.7%, and Adam Miller (43 of 127), who shoots 33.9%. Dosunmu is also a dangerous shooter. Meanwhile, Damonte Williams has attempted just 55 3s all season — but has made 27 of them, which makes him the top 3point shooter in the nation by percentage (55.1%), according to KenPom.com.
Threes are not a huge part of Illinois’ offense, constituting just 31.9% of their total field-goal attempts and 26.2% of their scoring; if Michigan can limit the shot quality of the 3pointers that Illinois does attempt while shooting near its average on the other end of the court, it will likely come away with the win.
TAMPA, Fla. – It’s a long shot.
Tigers outfielder Akil Baddoo, at the center of the dilemma, knows it. Manager AJ Hinch knows, too. General manager Al Avila understands the track records of Rule 5 draft picks aren’t alluring, but he wanted to take a chance on someone with plenty of upside this winter.
So, Avila selected Baddoo — a 22-year-old returning from Tommy John surgery without tasting a drip of experience above High-A in the minor leagues. If he does not stay on the Tigers’ active major-league roster for the entire season, he must be offered back to the Minnesota Twins.
“What we’re hoping is that what we see in spring training is enough,” Avila said in the middle of February. “Kind of like (former Rule 5 draft pick) Victor Reyes, where you know he can play defense, run the bases well, pinch run for somebody and can give you a competitive at-bat.”
There’s a lot that will go into the decision to keep Baddoo or return him to his old team — from keeping 13 or 14 pitchers to the headache of putting five outfield-only players on the roster.
But the most important factor, and what will truly determine what happens next, is Baddoo’s performance. That not only includes his physical attributes. He needs to showcase his mental strength.
So far, Hinch is impressed.
“He is very balanced as a human, as a person,” Hinch said Monday. “When you get a kid out of A-ball and get him around big leaguers, you put a little pressure on him by talking about him potentially making you team.
“It’s always interesting to see how they respond.”
Getting comfortable
Stepping into the batter’s box Sunday for the Tigers’ first spring training game against the Phillies was a long time coming for Baddoo, anadrenaline rush for him. Because of elbow surgery and last year’s shutdown of the minors, he has not played an official game since May 11, 2019.
659 days.
“All right, calm down,” Baddoo told himself. Baddoo drew a four-pitch walk (to drive in a run) in the first inning of Sunday’s contest, then pulled an RBI single to left field in the second inning against seven-year MLB veteran David Hale. He finished 1-for-1 with two RBIs and one walk.
“I was good to go,” he said. “It was just like I was playing baseball again. After the first inning,
it felt like home. I was being a ballplayer again.”
On Feb. 22, Baddoo reported to camp in Lakeland alongside fellow outfielders JaCoby Jones, Robbie Grossman, Derek Hill, Christin Stewart, Daz Cameron, Riley Greene, Jacob Robson and Danny Woodrow.
It won’t be long before Victor Reyes and Nomar Mazara — dealing with travel and work visa issues — show up.
They all have a 10-page booklet about outfield drills and positioning given to them by bench coach and outfield instructor George Lombard.
“George makes it fun to come out there each day,” Baddoo said.
“I try to listen as much as I can. Once again, he has a ring. AJ Hinch has a ring. Having that around, the whole atmosphere is different. We’re all about winning. That’s our main goal.”
Out of his hands
Scouts say Baddoo will likely be overmatched early on, assuming he makes the bigleague team. The Tigers went through that process with Reyes and right-hander Rony Garcia of the 2017 and 2019 Rule 5 drafts, respectively.
The organization held onto both.
“You want to bring the best version of yourself out on the field,” Hinch said. “If you can eliminate the nerves and the tension and the pressure that you put on yourself behind the scenes, you can focus on baseball.”
Baddoo aims to be the Tigers’ third Rule 5 draftee to make the team in the last four years.
The Tigers know if Baddoo is removed from the roster, he isn’t likely to clear waivers, considering MLB Pipeline ranks him as the No. 25 prospect in the Tigers’ farm system. A different organization might be willing to claim him and stash him on their roster.
“Looks like a big leaguer,” Hinch said. “Physically, he has matured, as far as strength and things you can do. I’ve been very impressed by his arrival and the first look.”
One game won’t make or break Baddoo’s chances. Positive results through the 29-game Grapefruit League schedule will help him in tough roster conversations between Hinch, Avila and other Tigers evaluators.
But that might not be enough.
Many elements — outside of Baddoo’s mindset and on-field tools — are at play.
“If I think about that stuff, then I’ll be all over the place,” Baddoo said. “I just have to control what I can control and go from there. That’s my mindset, going in each and every day saying, ‘Do whatever you can to prepare yourself.’ That’s what I’m going to do.
“And I’m going to do my best.”